The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-06-09
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
!peclal Correspondence of the NEWS:

Special Correspondence of the NEWS:
WAsHINGTON, ID. c., June 6, 1887.
The national drill has closed, and
that the managers have to make up q
purse of $4,000 to meet the deficit
Unfortunately we had rain every after
noon of the drill after the first day
until the close of the week SO that thou.
sands of persons were kept away. The
rain alsO SO interfered for three nights
with the pyrotechnic arrangements
that thousands of dollars were lost. AS
military display the drill was grand
success and every visiting company left
for home delighted with Its treatment
and determined to come again if the
drill be repeated.
Several of the companies were sc
charmed with the beauties of the city
that they remained until nearly the end
of the week after the drill closed on
Monday. The Minnesota company
that won the second infantry prize
were the guests of the National Rifles
at this place after the close of the drill
and on Thursday were taken to Mt.
Vernon and treated to Potomac plank
shad bake, which is an epicurean feast
purely local to this section of the coun-
try. The delicious Potomac shad were
taken directly from the river, split in
two and pinned to an immense oak or
chestnut plank which had been heated
through from face to face by a wooden
fire built in front of it. The heat of
the blazing fire on one side and the hot
plant on the other side TO which the
shad is pinned soon broils the shad
through and through and imparts to it
most delicious fiaver not to be attain
ed in any other way and so far beyond
all comparison that you must partake
of the feast to form any conception of
the delicate flavor. Champagne is the
usual beverage that goes with plank
shad, and it always flows freely ON
such occasions.
The American Fishery Society, the
American Chronological Society, the
American Physicians Society, and the
Mechanical Engineers Society, have all
held conventions in our city this week.
They found the city so attractive just
now in its spring dress that the sessions
have mostly been held at night so as
to give the members an opportunity to
see the beauties of art and nature by
day light. The President of the
Mechanical Engineer Society. Geo. II.
BabcOck, of New York. said in his
opening address that the American
people were hardly aware of the beauti-
full Metropolis which the Capital city
had become, and said that the mag
nificence of the buildings and cleanly
and beautiful stretch of avenues and
streets were only equaled by the warm
hospitality of the people.
The Fisheries Commission has been
somewhat saddened by the sudden ill
ness of Prof. Baird, of the Smithonian
VnGf.fT1tn tho fufhnr nf 4fSl1 dsnItura IN
this country. The fact that SO many
prominent public men have died after
brief illness within the past month has
caused much alarm concerning the
Professors Illness, but his physicians
pronounce him now out of danger.
The affection is of the kidneys.
During the president S absence i'll
the woods of New York state the
executive mansion is being overhauled
and when he gets back it will have
been transformed from its gorgeous
winter dress into its light and cool
costume of the summer. 1t is not eX-
pected that the president will leave the
city again until fall, and he and Mrs.
Cleveland will take up their abode ut
Oak View for the summer.
Now that the enforcement of the Sun
day Law is being tested in the courts,
the people through the newspapers are
making lOuU Calls LOT open ar concerts
and free access to the Government
buildings and libraries on Sunday.
The employees in the buildings
are doing all they can to
defeat the new departure as
Sunday is the only day in seven that
they have to themselves, and they pro-
tested against being made to work on
Sunday.
There is no appropriation out of
which an extra force to do duty on Sun
day can be paid, and SO there seems to
be no probability that the buildings
will be opened on that holy day. ii.
The A. 7. 81 S. F. Railroad Com
pany will establish a weekly line of
steamers from Galveston to Liverpool
and tri-weekly line from Galveston to
New York. The Santa Fe Road had
this in mind when it bought the Gulf,
Colorado & Santa Fe, and will put its
dockage in Galveston to more profit
able use. A line from California to
Japan is also contemplated.